Disaster responders treat more than just the immediate emotional and
psychological trauma of victims: they empower individuals and families
to heal themselves long into a disaster's aftermath. This requires
helping survivors to rebuild their ability to meet their emotional and
psychological needs, not only for themselves but also for others, which
necessitates a careful consideration of survivors' social, economic, and
political realities as their communities heal and recover.
This comprehensive book integrates Western mental health approaches and
international models of psychosocial capacity building within a social
ecology framework, providing practitioners and volunteers with a
blueprint for individual, family, group, and community interventions.
Joshua L. Miller focuses on a range of disasters at local, regional,
national, and international levels. Global case studies explore the
social, psychological, economic, political, and cultural issues
affecting various reactions to disaster and illustrate the importance of
drawing on local cultural practices to promote empowerment and
resiliency. Miller encourages developing people's capacity to direct
their own recovery, using a social ecology framework to conceptualize
disasters and their consequences. He also considers sources of
vulnerability and how to support individual, family, and community
resiliency; adapt and implement traditional disaster mental health
interventions in different contexts; use groups and activities to
facilitate recovery as part of a larger strategy of psychosocial
capacity building; and foster collective grieving and memorializing.
Miller's text examines the unique dynamics of intergroup conflict and
the relationship between psychosocial healing, social justice, and peace
and reconciliation. Each chapter ends with a mindfulness exercise, and a
section reviews practitioner self-care.
